The next day, around 1PM

===Chihaya Korinsu===

"What?" I asked. "How is that possible?"

"It's true!" Kazetani insisted. "I've heard through multiple people."

"What's going on?" Haga asked, approaching us.

Me and the three remaining Maindo leaders were outside in the parking lot, discussing future matters. In all honesty, me, Rafferty, Judumai and Niko hadn't really talked much about future planning yesterday; we ended up simply talking about the Treasure Hunt. The things we saw. The things we wished we did. But everyone else looked up to us, expecting us to know the answer on what to do. What else could I do but to put on a facade that we did in fact know what we were doing?

"Have you heard the news that's been going around?" Kazetani asked him.

He shook his head. "I mean, forgive me, but I haven't exactly been in the right mental state to keep up with Borderlands conjecture."

"It's not just gossip." Kazetani said, as people began gathering around us. "It's something... Maybe that we should let everyone know."

"W-What is it?" Rafferty asked. "Just t-tell us first."

"Something new happened?" Judumai asked, stepping up.

"Well, to put it simply, all games have stopped running." Kazetani explained. "And in addition, Visas aren't ticking down anymore."

"Could it be because we cleared every game?" Chihaya said.

Kazetani shrugged. "That's the most logical conclusion."

"Okay," Rafferty said, rubbing his eyes and motioning with his hands, "w-what exactly happened to the g-games? W-were there just no game venues l-last night?"

"There were still game venues." Kazetani said. "But they didn't lead into anything. There was just a TV, and they each showed the same message.

He pulled out a slip of paper, displaying it to us as Niko walked up. "Oh... I was just about to tell you guys about this. Some of my Food Council friends heard about this."

Interval

Today's games shall proceed to the next stage

Currently undergoing preparations

The photo's quality was faint, but the words were undeniable.

"Preparations?" Judumai asked. "Preparations for what?"

"You know..." Niko muttered. "What else could it be? It has to be the Face Cards."

Ashikaga groaned. "We just cleared every card! Now they want us to do even more?"

"Later tonight I'll check one of these registers out." Kazetani said.

"Count me in too." I said, raising my hand. "I wanna see this in person."

"Alright, then." Kazetani said, writing the information onto a clipboard. "I'm going to announce the news to everyone now. There's bound to be questions."

He walked back into the building, with Ashikaga and Shīrabi following behind him.

"I guess today, with this new information, it's time we get serious and actually discuss what we're going to do moving forward." I said.

Rafferty nodded. "Y-Yeah, this is a lot of n-new information to take i-in."

"Have you guys ever been near the edges of the twenty-three wards?" Niko asked.

We all shook our heads.

"I haven't either, but I know people who have. And it's strange near the border. As you travel further outwards, the city becomes more and more decayed. More decayed than it even is here. The buildings become overrun with trees and ivy, before giving way to complete forest."

"Forests?" Judumai asked. "In the middle of Tokyo? Shouldn't the edge of the wards just lead to more city?"

"W-Well, I guess the f-fact that this isn't some p-parallel universe becomes even m-more apparent." Rafferty pointed out.

"It's not just woods, there's entire rivers and mountain scapes." Niko described.

"So if you go far enough... Do you—well, can you—escape the Borderlands?" I asked.

That's when he shook his head. "No one I've asked has known anyone who's been that far. Although, I do know someone... Who knows someone... That attempted to sail out into the ocean, potentially to Korea or China. But they were never heard from again."

"W-We should k-keep in mind that these are a-all second or even third-hand a-accounts." Rafferty warned. "W-We don't know how much information h-has decayed or given w-way w-with each retelling."

"Yeah, so I don't know if it's the most trustworthy, but it's the best we got." Niko said.

A second later, Kazetani's voice rang through the speakers. "Good afternoon, everyone. As some of you may have heard, there is shocking news traveling around the Borderlands. All games, as of last night, have ceased. Venues still light up, but only display a screen saying that games are halted in preparations for... Something, that we don't know. Visas aren't ticking down either. This is all we know for now, but feel free to head to the lobby if you have any questions, and we can attempt to discuss possible explanations."

"So there's that." Judumai said.

"Also, f-forgive me if this is t-too soon," Rafferty said, glancing towards my direction, "but there's a-actually another thing we haven't t-talked about at all, and that's the... w-well, the dealers."

I sighed, but pressed forward. "No, you're right. Absolutely."

"So, dealers." Judumai stated. "Let's just raise up what we know so far. If there were two in Maindo and three within the Beach, doesn't that mean there could be more within our midst?"

"At least not anymore within our group of survivors." I said. "Unless, in the small odds that one of the two Maindo members who didn't participate in the Ten of Clubs and were stationed behind to hold the base was a dealer. But Kazetani probably chose those at random anyway."

"So, from what we gathered, dealers don't make games, but rather, just facilitate them." Niko proposed.

"Kind of like a card dealer in poker or blackjack." Judumai said.

Rafferty nodded. "But then... Th-That just raises another q-question. From what we can assume, dealers need t-to kill all players in the game they s-supervise, or else it's Game O-Over for them. Oftentimes, th-the only w-way w-within the very rules of the game they can survive in the f-first place is if all the p-players die."

He turned to Judumai, and then Niko. "Like w-with Freeze Tag. That w-was so long ago... But that's b-besides the point. In that game, it w-was either all the p-players die and the b-basara won, or a s-single player w-wins and the basara loses. Same with the Eight of S-Spades: either w-we find the key, w-which required us killing the d-demon, or w-we don't find the key, in w-which w-we w-would've died but the demon w-would live.

"So that's w-where the Ten of Clubs is different, b-because the rules allow for every player to theoretically s-survive. It's not one against th-the other."

"So that means that they blend in with the other players, and still have to cause a Game Over somehow without a unique role." I said.

"But then that raises another question." Niko pointed out. "How many games have Erina, Natsuki, and Ryota helped us clear? How come they were never killed after we cleared any of those games?"

That gave us pause for a while, before I perked up again. "Maybe they were all special enough to be exempt from the usual dealer rules. Like Kazetani said, the Beach was literally designed to withstand millions of tons of water without collapsing, in advance, all in order to set up the ultimate Ten of Clubs. Since their sole purpose was to establish the Beach to eventually create the ultimate player trap for the Ten of Clubs, then they're exempt from all other dealer rules for them to accomplish their purpose."

"And, like we've already discussed, that's also why it seemed like Erina wanted Maindo to expose her and shift the power within the Beach." Niko said. "They probably knew you'd try to rescue her, and that the chaos of the cards being stolen would be insurmountable. They wanted the start of the Ten of Clubs to be as confusing, chaotic, and unstable as possible."

"So then... I suppose the role of the dealers is beginning to make sense now." Judumai said. "We play the games, while the dealers facilitate the games. And then at the top... The people who make the games. Of course."

"The ever-elusive gamemakers..." I trailed, fixing my sights into the horizon. "We haven't heard anything about who they might be or what they're like. Their motives, identities, all still a secret. When will they step out?"

"I guess we'll find out eventually." Judumai said. "Maybe when–or if–this Interval period ends, we'll get some answers. Like who the people behind the games are. Or what the Borderlands is."

"That's another good question." Niko pointed out, sighing. "Just what is the Borderlands? Is this a punishment? Retribution? Or is this really just some game?"

"I've heard a pretty optimistic rumor going around." I said. "The Borderlands is some highly advanced highly modern, extremely realistic virtual reality program. We were—or I guess, are—the first batch is testers offered a huge sum of money to participate within this simulation. Our memories of us knowing about this program are wiped so it's as if we think we were randomly sent here. When we die here, we simply wake up back in the real world. Some theories have even said that this was actually a competition, and that those who survive until the end, whatever that might be, will win an even bigger sum of money in the real world."

"I w-wouldn't complain if th-that w-were the case." Rafferty said. "Even if the m-memories of signing up for the p-program is w-wiped, I know for a fact I w-was broke, so the l-logic checks out."

"Same." I replied. "Even though... I know it's a reach, the logic lines up with my life too."

"But weren't you a successful DJ in the past world?" Judumai asked. "You said you even had an album reach a chart!"

"Yeah, three years ago." I said. "The profit from that album lasted me like, six months. After that, I, like every other artist, was in a tight financial spot."

"You know, it also can't be a coincidence that the lives of everyone who entered the Borderlands was shit." Niko said. "Financial issues, not knowing where to go in life, etcetera."

"And w-we all s-saw those fireworks at d-dawn." Rafferty said.

"So our lives were all crappy, and we all stayed up until about four in the morning when we saw the fireworks." I said. "So maybe, anyone who has a shitty life, who stayed up until that hour, automatically gets sent to the Borderlands?"

"I don't know, that feels a bit too obscure." Judumai said. "I feel like there'd be many more people here if the requirements were that simple."

"Maybe your life can't just be shitty, but it has to be uber-shitty." Niko said.

Judumai shrugged. "My life wasn't great but it wasn't uber-shitty. Like, I had no goal in mind and was just a blind musician doing what I could. It wasn;t a very stable or sound life, but if that's the quota for having a shitty enough life to be sent to the Borderlands, wouldn't like, every homeless person, every terminally ill person, and every jobless person in all of Tokyo be here?"

"Then m-maybe it's a d-different requirement." Rafferty suggested. "Like, s-say, having some sort o-of injustice happen. O-Or your life b-being short of its potential d-due to a factor that w-was out of your c-control."

"I guess that could apply to you." Niko said. "I recall you saying that you were wrongly put on probation in your forensic science workplace, right?"

"Y-Yup. Accused of t-tampering w-with evidence."

'That's unfortunately something I can see him doing..." I thought, as I cleared my throat. "So, this place is just an enigma, at the end of the day. There's no sound theory, it's all just conjecture. But, in my mind, the most rational, logical explanation is the virtual reality theory. It's the only one with logical and scientific backing."

"Yeah, so maybe it's not just hopeless optimism." Niko said.

"Damn," Judumai muttered, scratching his head. "This conversation is kind of depressing. Let's switch subjects."

"I think I'm going to go." I said, getting up. "I'm just going to rest a bit, maybe get something to eat, then later go with Kazetani to a venue to check out the screen."

"A-Alright." Rafferty waved me farewell. "See you."

Judumai and Niko both waved goodbyes, as I left.

. . .

"You ready?" Kazetani asked, as I pulled up the seatbelt in my seat.

"Yeah." I muttered, not meeting his eyes.

The silence was stuffy, as Kazetani shifted in his seat, turning on the ignition. He drove for a while, before speaking. "You know, it's okay to be overwhelmed."

I sighed. "Yeah, but, I can't afford to look all over the place when there's so many people looking up to me. Since I'm the only person left of the original Management Council, everyone just assumed me as the new leader of the formal Beach members."

"What makes a good leader isn't their strength, but their ability to show weakness."

I turned to him. "You're a good leader, though. You speak with confidence and a level of composure."

"There's different arguments to be made for each demeanor that a leader can hold themselves to." He said. "A casual, every-man demeanor can make a leader look relatable and approachable, while a confident and certain demeanor can make a leader look wise and insightful. But that doesn't mean you can only be one or the other, or that everyone goes into a box."

"I guess..."

"People look up to you, and that's all that matters. Don't be afraid to be vulnerable, it won't make people any less respectful of you."

"I suppose you're right." I said, sitting up straighter, turning away from the side window and looking out the front window. "I should try to give myself more time."

"I don't know if it's in good taste to bring it up, so sorry if this is in bad taste, but again, I'm truly sorry for Erina and for what I've done."

"No, you're totally fine." I said. "Really."

Kazetani shifted in his seat again, as if unsure of what to say to keep the conversation drifting to avoid the dense silence that would fill the void otherwise. "...Your music, I've always thought it was quite a special hobby."

"Thanks. I've always liked music, and knew I wanted to pursue it. I spent most of college trying to sharpen my skills and get into the industry, whilst balancing my grades. I almost became a civil engineer... "

"To be honest, I've always had a lot of respect for artists. Their lives aren't easy and they often don't receive much respect, but without them, society would have no culture."

"I think to say I'm actively contributing to my society's cultural development is a stretch, but it's true that it's not easy. Probably a factor in me getting sent to the Borderlands."

I turned to face him. "How about you? Why do you think you got sent here?"

He shrugged, his eyes still glued to the road. "I can't complain, really, about my life. I've got a stable job, a loving wife and two kids, an amazing cat, and a beautiful apartment. Every morning, my wife would prepare me a bento box, and I'd wake up my two kids, and help them get ready for school.

"The sinks would clatter in the sink as they finished eating breakfast and the coffee finished brewing. Then I'd head to work and sit in a cubicle for the next ten hours. And then... I'll keep doing that. And it's what I've been doing. Sometimes I wonder how different my life would be if... "

He trailed off, moreso muttering to himself, only wisps of his voice audible. "if... I had gotten that letter...."

I didn't press further as Kazetani pulled the car into a stop, in front of a venue that was lit up. "So this is it." He announced.

I got out of the door, pushing it closed, and stepped up to the venue, which was a hardware store. But at the front doors was a table blocking them from opening, with a flat screen sitting on top of the table glowing a fluorescent white.

Interval

Today's games shall proceed to the next stage

Currently undergoing preparations.

"Well, I guess that confirms it." Kazetani said, still next to the car door. "There isn't anything I'm seeing that's note-worthy, so I guess we should head back."

I nodded, getting back into the car. "How long do you think this period will last?"

"No clue–maybe it'll end tomorrow, maybe in a week. Either way, I'm not complaining. Preparations can't be for something good; it's definitely not like they're preparing some party to celebrate us making it this far."

The rest of the car ride was silent, as if Kazetani had flipped off a switch after how swiftly our prior conversation had gotten personal.

Back at Miyamoto University, dinner must've finished, as the smell of canned meat and fish wafted through the open windows of the car.

"It's still the Interval!" Aulia shouted, running up to a table of people eating.

"Really? You've heard?" One of them asked.

"Yes! Me and Ashikaga were scouting the perimeters and we heard from some traveler's in passing."

"It's true." I confirmed, stepping out of the car. "We just checked; it's exactly as the photograph shows."

"So nothing's changed." Niko said, shrugging, behind a table showcasing an array of food. There were plates of fried canned meat, grilled fish, and canned vegetables. Packaged crackers were the only source of "grain" provided. "If nothing's changed, what's the use in worrying? Just enjoy this rest period."

"I suppose you're right." I said, assembling a small plate of food, joining a crowd on the ground. It was Rafferty, Judumai, Gabura, Aoyama, Benkei, and Tori. Off to the side, on top of some old cars, were Maeda, Zakū, Charī, and Haga.

I joined the conversation, putting a piece of the fish onto the cracker and eating it–the ultimate Borderlands fine-dining.

"Another night of peace!" Benkei shouted. "Loosen up, Chihaya!"

I sighed, but smiled. "Yeah, you're right..."

"Hey guys!" Charī shouted, turning around from on top of the car. "Hurry up and finish eating, we've come up with an amazing game idea!"

"What's your fun game idea now?" Tori asked between laughs. "Hot potato with a bomb?"

"No!" He said, flipping his notebook around. "Look! We can play a drawing game! We all take turns drawing something, and whoever guesses first gets a point!"

"Why wait until we're done eating?" Judumai asked. "Let's play now."

"Bet!" Charī said, flipping to a clean page. "Judumai, since you suggested it, you go first!" He chucked the notebook at him.

Judumai yelped, catching it, the cover an inch away from landing in the vegetables on his plate. We all laughed, as he took the pencil out.

We were halfway through Haga's turn when it happened.

Fireworks began setting off in the distance.

"Huh...?" Maeda murmured. "What's... What's going on?"

My heart started twisting as I stood up. Seas of flashing of colors splattered across the sky, crackling filling the night air.

Then, every screen in the Borderlands turned on. A billboard on the facade of the building closest top us flashed with a bright white, and I shielded my eyes, as people of Maindo began rushing out of the building.

"What the hell?" Ashikaga asked, running up to Kazetani and Shirai.

"Something's happening!" Haga shouted.

"Even the radios are producing static!" Shirai reported, leaning her head into a car. "This is being broadcast everywhere!"

And, over the next few seconds, the white gave into a broadcast, featuring four silhouettes. A youthful woman with luscious brown hair and a fine